Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• American Optical Co. 1941-1979
• Manhassett Mfg. Co. 1920-1924
• Nutmeg Container Corp., div. Unicorr Packaging Group late-20th c.-Present (2016)

Use (Historic)

• Apparel & Accessories
• Consumer Products, Small Appliances

Largest Documented Workforce

300 (ca. 1945).

Historic Narrative

The Manhasset Manufacturing Company was formed in Providence, Rhode Island in 1911. The incorporators were also the firm’s initial officers, and they included E.V. Livesey, president; H.J. Thayer, secretary; and R.H. Ballou, treasurer and general manager. The sole business of the company was the production of automobile tire cloth and manufacturing was established on Canal Street in Putnam, Connecticut after the firm acquired a substantial mill formerly occupied by the Monohansett Manufacturing Company in 1912. The Manhasset Manufacturing Company expanded rapidly in its early years as the increased popularity of the automobile – as well as the outbreak of the First World War – created a significant demand for the firm’s product. A number of new manufacturing buildings were erected for the business in Putnam and additional facilities were also acquired in Warren, Rhode Island and Taunton, Massachusetts during the 1910s and 1920s. By 1922, the firm had increased its capital to $2,700,000 and boasted over $8,000,000 in annual sales. Employment at the Putnam plant numbered over 850 hands during this prosperous period. Regardless of the boom experienced during the early 1920s, the Manhasset Manufacturing Company fell into receivership and closed its doors in 1923. In 1924, the Putnam mill was acquired by the Putnam Land and Mill Company, a real estate company organized that year for the purpose of purchasing the Manhasset Manufacturing Company property. The various buildings comprising the plant were subsequently rented to a mix of industrial tenants, many of these associated with the textile industry. An exception was the Southbridge, Massachusetts-based American Optical Company, which began leasing the only building on the east side of Canal Street in 1941. The American Optical Company was organized in Southbridge in 1869. The firm grew into a national leader in the field of optics by the late-19th century and its expansion into Putnam was driven by the need for additional space to house its Safety Products Division. The latter manufactured a variety of safety equipment used by industrial workers, this including safety goggles, masks, gloves, and suiting. Employment in Putnam initially numbered 28 hands yet peaked around 300 during the Second World War as the company produced a range of goods – such as safety goggles and asbestos gunners’ mitts – for the United States military. The workforce leveled out around 200 in the post-war period and the company continued to occupy the Putnam factory until 1979 when operations were consolidated in Southbridge. The plant has since been occupied by the Nutmeg Container Corporation, a division of the Unicorr Packaging Group. The Nutmeg Container Corporation manufactures a range of packaging products including protective foam packaging, wood crates, engineered pallets, and corrugated cardboard cartons.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly four (4) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1920, 1962, 1988.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Manhasset Manufacturing Company plant is comprised of four adjoining primary blocks located on the east side of Canal Street, roughly 200’ south of Canal Street’s intersection with Monohansett Street. The plant’s oldest and original building is located at the center of the facility and was erected in 1920. It consists of a three-story, 196’ x 120’ red brick block with a concrete foundation, recessed segmental-arched window openings, concrete window sills, both paired and single multipane metal sash with pivot-style openings, and a flat roof. The building was formerly connected to a mill on the west side of Canal Street via an enclosed third-floor passageway on the west side of the block, however, this was removed around 1960 and the neighboring building has since been demolished. The American Optical Company enlarged the Canal Street plant through the addition of a two-story red brick block adjoining the north elevation of the original plant in 1962. The addition measures roughly 190’ x 104’ and has a concrete foundation, rectangular window openings with concrete sills, and a flat roof. Fenestration on the façade (north elevation) consists of full-width ribbon windows with multipane metal sash and hopper-style openings, while that on the west side of the block is divided into bays by full-height brick piers. The windows on the west elevation are paired and consist of multipane metal sash with pivot-style openings. The final additions to the factory were completed in 1988. These consist of two steel-frame blocks erected on the south side of the plant. A two-story, 115’ x 333’ warehouse-style block adjoins the south elevation of the original mill, while a one-story, 43’ x 100’ shipping block adjoins the south elevation of the other 1988 building. Both of these blocks have concrete foundations and vertical standing seam metal siding. The larger of the two buildings has a low-pitch front-facing gable roof, while the shipping block has a shed roof.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Steel

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Structural Steel or Iron

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Metal

Power Source

• Electricity

Condition

Good

Condition Notes

The complex is in good condition. The plant appears to retain the majority of its original windows and the entire facility is well maintained overall.

Specific Location

One 4.6-acre parcel (100 Canal Street) located on the east side of Canal Street, roughly 200’ south of Canal Street’s intersection with Monohansett Street.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 15/163/000 / Link →

Acreage

4.6

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

01/11/2016

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
3. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
4. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
5. Map of Tolland County, Wm. C. Eaton & H.C. Osborn, 1857.
6. Atlas of Tolland County, O.W. Gray, 1869.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1887, 1892, 1897, 1903, 1910, 1920, 1945.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1951, 1965, 1970, 1985.
9. Map of Windham County, E.M. Woodford, 1855.
10. Atlas of Windham County, O.W. Gray, 1869.
11. Hartford Courant, 1923, 1924.
12. A History of Windham County, Connecticut; Bayles, Richard M., ed., 1889.
13. A Modern History of Windham County, Connecticut; Lincoln, Allen B., 1920.
14. The Lens Vue; American Optical Co., 1949, 1961, 1979.